Rune Factory Valentine's Week 2015
by PerfectlyPuzzled
Summary: A series of prompts from the Rune Factory Valentine's Week event hosted by Tumblr blog Fyeahrunefactory.. Multiple pairings from the Rune Factory 4 universe. Super fluff, rated T just in case.
1. First Meeting

_Hello! I've been playing Rune Factory 4 a lot lately and decided I wanted to try my hand at the Rune Factory Valentine's Week 2015 event on Tumblr! I haven't written in a while, but I wanted to contribute because it looks like a lot of fun. For those of you who know me from my Different Worlds [Skyrim] fic, I'm very sorry and I have not forgotten or abandoned that story at all, I promise I'll update that soon. _

_ANYWAY. I know, it's Tuesday, but I lost track of days so instead of skipping Sunday and Monday, I'm going to try and do all three asap so I'll be caught up._

_Sunday, February 8th, 2015: First Meeting or __Last Meeting_

_Pairing: Vishnal x Frey_

It was so early in the morning that the sun hadn't even risen yet. Most people would still be asleep around this time, but there was one man who was wide awake, doing his morning pushups. Character-building, the butler-in-training called it.

Though Vishnal was usually awake at this time of day anyway, the fact of the matter is that he didn't get a wink of sleep last night. He was way too excited.

Yesterday, a new person dropped into their lives-literally! And this person happened to be the monarch they had been expecting to come rule their humble kingdom. This was Vishnal's chance to prove himself worthy of being called a full-fledged butler. There was no way he was going to mess this up.

"I should make some tea for him."

Heading to the castle's kitchen, Vishnal thought about what kind of person this monarch was. In fact, Lady Ventuswill and Master Volkanon were the only ones to actually meet the monarch, and even his fellow butler-in-training, Clorica, had managed to sneak a peak at them while Vishnal was out doing the shopping, but nobody would tell Vishnall a thing.

"I know something you don't," Clorica sang, enjoying the moment. Not even the Head Butler would tell him anything. "It would be better for your training if you found out on your own," Volkanon proclaimed, "it would keep you on your toes!" He assigned Vishnal his morning duties, which now included waking up the monarch each morning at exactly 6am.

At around 5:45, Vishnal had prepared an exquisite tea tray complete with the finest Breakfast Tea they had and a few biscuits Clorica had baked the previous night. Wanting to make a good first impression, Vishnal made sure to carefully pick out the most beautiful china they had. With a cheerful smile, the young butler took the tray in his right hand and walked gracefully towards the Master Bedroom.

5:55. Vishnal knocked lightly on the monarch's door, in case the monarch was an even earlier riser than Vishnal was. That didn't seem to be the case, however, since there was no answer. Steeling himself, Vishnal made his entrance.

The room was quite empty as it always had been, but there was a mass underneath the bedcovers that was undoubtedly a person. Vishnal tread carefully, unsure of how the monarch would react to his wakeup call. Volkanon tended to be quite loud and violent when woken up, and the blue-haired butler feared that their new resident was not a morning person, either.

As he approached, he could barely see the tip of a green head, turned away from him.

6:00. Showtime.

"Prince...?" Vishnal called out meekly. The bunch of blankets stirred slightly. "Or... maybe... king? It's umm... time to wake up! It's a brand new day!"

"Hnngh..." groaned the lump. That was weird. It sounded almost ... _feminine._

_I thought we were expecting a __**prince. **_

"Err... Prince...ss?"

Suddenly, the person sat up, covers slowly falling to their sides. Sitting before the young butler, rubbing her eyes hazily, was a slender young woman with long green hair. She was young, possibly around his age.

His cheeks flushed lightly. She was very cute.

And her night gown.

_Oh no. _

"P-P-P-Princess...?" Vishnal's face went from pink to red in a matter of seconds. "Y-your gown is...?"

"Hmmm...?" The girl looked down. In her sleep, her shoulder straps had managed to untie themselves, causing her gown to slip down quite a bit. As she moved her arms lazily to adjust herself, the gown had fallen past her chest, exposing her to the helpless young butler.

"P-PRINCESS! AHH, I'M S-S-SORRY!"

The butler went to cover his face reflexively, forgetting entirely about the tray of hot tea and biscuits he was carrying, which caused the tray to shift and the teapot to fall. Panicking, Vishnal grabbed clumsily for the teapot, managing to save it as the tray and its other contents crashed against the floor. Scalding hot liquid leaked out from the spout during his rescue, spilling all over his hands and forcing him to throw down the teapot reactively.

"_YeeoOOWW!"_

Suddenly, the door burst open revealing Volkanon and even Clorica, clearly startled by the commotion.

"VISHNAL," Volkanon shouted, "What is the meaning of this clumsiness?! I thought you were capable! **WHY, VISHNAL. WHY."**

"I-I'm sorry, Mr. Volkanon! I just... The princess... her gown was ...!"

"**MY VISHNAL IS A LECHEROUS FOOL.**"

"You're disgusting," Clorica teased, already half-asleep again.

"N-No, I..." The blue-haired butler looked over helplessly at the young girl, who had by this point fixed her nightgown.

"It was my fault," She interrupted, silencing the head butler's sobbing. She stood up and gave an apologetic smile to Vishnal and continued.

"My gown had slipped in my sleep, and I hadn't realized I was expecting anyone in the morning, otherwise I would have made sure to tie them properly...I'm sorry."

"Oh Lady Frey, that's quite alright!" The elder butler laughed heartily and patted her on the back a little too roughly, causing her to stumble forward. "After all, due to the circumstances, you were quite tired! We should have let you sleep in and for that, we are most sorry!"

Volkanon had broken into a stiff bow, urging Clorica and Vishnal to hastily do the same.

The young princess, Frey, took a step towards the blue-haired butler. "Are you alright?" She asked calmly, eyeing the areas where the hot liquid had spilled on him. "Please, come with me."

Vishnal looked towards Volkanon, who nodded for him to go. "Don't worry about the mess, young Vishnal. Clorica would be more than happy to clean it up for you, so be sure to thank her later!"

"Please thank me by taking care of the night chores!" Clorica interjected, haven been woken up at the sound of her name.

The princess had led Vishnal to her bathroom and prompted him to sit on her toilet seat.

"Please hold out your hands, if you would," she instructed. "Mr. Volkanon said there was a first aid kit under the sink..."

"Oh no... please don't worry about me," Vishnal protested, shaking his head quickly. "I'm just your butler, after all! You shouldn't have to bother with me."

"It's no bother," the girl giggled, locating a box with a large red plus sign painted on. "It's the least I could do to make up for startling you so early in the morning." Her cheeks flushed a bright pink at the memory as she pulled out a roll of bandages and some burn cream. Giving in, Vishnal passed her his blotchy red hands as she knelt in front of him to treat them.

"Thank goodness... it doesn't look too serious. How does it feel?"

"N...Not too painful anymore. Just a light sting." He said that, but he still managed to flinch at her touch. Her hands were small and cold, which contrasted heavily with his hot skin.

But she didn't notice, and if she had, she paid it no mind.

"So you're my butler, hmm?" Vishnall looked down to find her glancing up at him as she spread the ointment on his wounds. "You're only as old as me. I thought butlers were usually more...Mr. Volkanon's age."

Vishnal let out a light chuckle at her observation. "Haha, I suppose you're right. I'm actually still in training."

"Training? I didn't realize the path to butlerhood was so rough!"

"Oh, but of course!" Vishnal's eyes flared up with excitement which carried in his voice and body language. "One does not simply just _be _a butler. It's a long process! A way of life that requires determination, tact, hard work and above all, discipline!"

Frey laughed a bit more easily this time, pulling his hands closer so she could get to his wrists. "Well, you certainly seem to have all of those things! I'm sure you'll definitely become a true butler one day."

Vishnal smiled, looking into her green eyes. They were friendly, putting him at ease. _It's funny... When she's like this, she _"...doesn't seem like a princess at all..."

The girl fidgeted slightly, dropping the tube of ointment on the ground. Vishnal, catching his mistake, began stammering to recover himself. "I-I mean, you're just so...kind! I didn't mean any disrespect, Princess!"

_Oh no... I must have made her angry with me. _But instead, she smiled at him and shook her head. "No, you're right," she assured him. "Actually, I'm not even sure that I _am _the princess."

"What do you mean...?"

As she began unraveling the bandages, she looked around to make sure there were no prying eyes. "I mean... all I remember is falling, then waking up, and being here. Everyone keeps _saying _I'm the princess...but something feels off about that, somehow. But the honest truth is, I don't know who I am. I'm just... Frey."

_So she lost her memories, huh... how sad. _

Frey looked up in surprise when Vishnal grabbed the bandages from her. He gave her a smile as he offered her his arm and helped her stand. "I can handle the rest. Thank you for your hard work, Princess Frey."

The girl blinked at him, unsure of how to respond. "But I'm..."

"I'm not sure who you are exactly, either. But to me, you are our Princess. So please allow me to call you Princess."

Color crept onto Frey's face as she nodded slowly, and left Vishnal to finish up his bandages. It was time to start the day.


	2. Nightmare

_SO YEAH I DON'T KNOW HOW THE FIRST ONE WENT I'M PRETTY RUSTY BUT HOPEFULLY THEY GET BETTER OVER TIME._

_I thought of the setting for Monday's prompt on my way to work this morning so I hope it's okay. I thought it was pretty cute._

_This is Monday, February 9th's prompt: __**Nightmares **__or __Day Dreaming_

_Pairing: Bado/Frey_

_Herewego!_

_It was nighttime now in the Forest of Beginnings. Frey staggered slightly, panting from exhaustion. She had already cleared through three waves of monsters. They were stronger than she remembered. Allowing herself to fall to the ground, Frey sighed. _

_She couldn't remember why she was back here, or why it was so dark. Usually the Forest is misleadingly bright and beautiful, but tonight it was different. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched._

_"How did I get back here?" Frey wondered aloud. When she was here the first time, she was sure she wasn't coming back. When she did return, she vowed to never set foot near the tower of Leon Karnak ever again._

_"Frey..."_

_She jumped. That couldn't have been the wind, could it? She could hear it as clear as day._

_"Frey... hurry up! The Elder wants to talk to you!"_

**_The Elder?_**_ She closed her eyes in thought. Something about that sounded almost familiar, but she could not place it. _

_When she opened her eyes again, she was shocked to find a figure standing before her. _

_He had blonde hair and wore strange clothes, but she couldn't make out his face. He didn't have one._

_"Napping again? Geez...you're the __**chosen Earthmate**__. Come on, you have to be debriefed for your journey to Selphia!"_

_"Wait a second... I'm already in Selphia.." This was wrong. This was all wrong._

_Whether he had heard her and chosen to ignore her, she couldn't tell. He didn't seem to react to her statement, but instead ran off._

_"Hey, wait!"_

_Standing up, Frey stumbled to chase after the young man. With each step, her vision grew darker, until everything around her was pitch black._

_"Uuff!"_

_She crashed face-first into a warm, solid mass._

_"Hey, be more careful, will ya? Don't damage the merchandise."_

_She knew that voice. "... Bado?"_

_The large dwarf turned around to face her, looking at her with confusion. "...Hnn? Do I know you?"_

_Now it was her turn to be confused. "Bado... it's me, Frey!"_

_"Frey? nope, never heard of any Freys."_

_"I fell from the sky!"_

_The dwarf's body quaked with laughter, annoying Frey. "That's a crazy sales pitch! What are you selling, some kind of magical full-body armor?"_

_Figuring she was wasting her time with him, she ran past him in pursuit of the mystery boy once again. _

_"Hey, make sure you gather at the square this afternoon," Bado called out to her, "We're expecting a royal visitor!" _

_That was odd. Was a member of Arthur's family coming to visit? Frey tried to remember Arthur mentioning anything about it, when she suddenly entered a brightly-lit room._

_The floors shined a bright white, almost glowing thanks to the fluorescent lights above. There were anatomy posters hanging on the white walls and an overpowering smell of disinfectant wafting through the air ducts._

_"It was negative again, Jones..." _

_The woman sounded so dejected. A familiar blonde nurse walked into view. There was a small instrument clutched in her trembling hands._

_Nancy's husband walked over to her and held her tightly. "It's alright, Dear. The fertility specialists said-"_

_Frey moved closer to the two. Judging by their lack of response, it was safe to say that for whatever reason, they could not see or hear her._

_"I know what they said. I just... I really wanted to start our family. I kept praying for a miracle and then-"_

_"Shhh, shhh..." Jones broke apart from his sobbing wife to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "All in due time, Dear. All we have to do is wait and see."_

_Nancy smiled at her husband's words, bringing up her free hand to wipe away her tears. "Yeah... I suppose you're right. Besides... while it's still the two of us...Doctor Jones..."_

**_Uhh... I should probably get going... _**_Her cheeks heated, Frey escaped the house of the perpetual newlyweds. "Wait a second..."_

_She stopped abruptly, in front of the Clinic's door. "Just the two of them? ...Where's Dolce and Pico...?"_

_Forgetting her initial goal, she ran straight for the Lake._

_Sure enough, there was the Obsidian Mansion. But the bridge was broken once again. Or was it still broken?_

_Frey dropped to her knees. She couldn't make sense of anything anymore. As she covered her face with her hands in defeat, a voice called out to her._

_"Who are you?"_

_She picked her head up and glanced around. She was alone._

_"H...Hello?"_

_"I said. __**Who are you**__?"_

_What a silly question. "I'm..._

_..._

_.._

**_Who am_**_**I**__?"_

_Running to the water, Frey stared into her reflection. Long, green hair, tied up in ponytails. Small frame. But when she got to her face..._

Frey bolted upright, her entire body drenched in sweat, both from her rest and from the hot summer night. It took an eternity to catch her breath and get her bearings.

The Forest Of Beginnings had plagued her mind recently, but that was something completely different. Unable to sit still, the girl slipped on a pair of sandals and headed outside.

It was too damn hot out. And the fireflies, the damn fireflies. How was anyone expected to sleep like this?

Selphia's lazy blacksmith sat up from his bed, completely unable to get comfortable. On nights like this, the only cure for insomnia was, surprisingly, to work.

Bado chuckled to himself as he headed to his forge. His foster-daughter thought him to be so lazy. She would lose her head if she caught him actually working. But nights like these were when he actually worked his hardest.

Reaching for something to light his furnace with, he noticed a shadow walk past his window.

_That's strange... patrol was twenty minutes ago. _Figuring it was best (and probably more fun anyway) to check it out, Bado abandoned his forge and left his store, not even bothering to lock it behind him.

The shadow was headed west, he recalled, probably down to the lake where that eery old mansion lie.

He spotted her instantly as he passed the clinic.

Clad in a rather plain nightgown, her knees hugged tightly against her tiny body, sat the "Princess". She had carelessly tossed her sandals behind her as she allowed her toes to wade in the water, and her hair was released from her usual ponytails. Her hair, Bado realized, was much longer than he had thought.

"Do you know me?" She called out, her eyes never leaving the water. The smile on her face was melancholic.

"That's a weird question," the dwarf said, matter-of-factly as he strode to sit beside her. "You're Frey."

"That's good."

"Good that you're Frey?"

"Good that you know me."

He sat in silence for a moment, confused by what she meant. She kept her eyes on the water, making him feel almost like an intruder.

"Couldn't sleep?" He joked, obviously knowing the answer. "I bet that old castle gets really stuffy in the Summer."

Frey giggled slightly. "Yeah, it really does. ...What about you, Bado? Did I wake you?"

"Naa. Not at all. Couldn't sleep either, as a matter of fact."

More silence. The girl looked like she wanted to ask him about something, but she seemed to have trouble finding the right words.

"Bad dream?"

She looked up at him, eyes wide. Bingo.

"I know a good way to get over a bad dream."

"... You do?"

The dwarf crossed his arms, smiling lazily at the younger woman. "Of course. Just forget them."

"Forget them?"

"Forget them."

Frey's eyes went straight to her feet. He messed that one up really nicely. _Amnesiac. Right. _"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"I'm afraid."

"Huh?"

She looked up at him, those captivating green orbs of hers threatening to spill tears, sending a dull ache through the dwarf's chest. "At first... I was afraid that I would never be able to remember who I was. But that doesn't compare to _this._"

She took a deep breath, attempting to collect herself before she continued. "I'm afraid of forgetting again. Forgetting everything, and having everyone forget me."

At this, Bado laughed. _Really _laughed. His body was shaking, and he was afraid he was going to wake up the whole town. Once he had regained composure, he looked down at the now-angry girl.

"I'm sorry, it's just... that's impossible."

"What do you mean?"

"What I'm saying is... you're one of a kind, kid. There's no way any of us could ever forget you. And if you forgot who we were one day, we would pester you until you remembered us again."

In the glow from the fireflies, Bado noticed the dark tint that crept onto her cheeks, causing his own face to grow hot in reaction.

"You really think so?"

The blue-haired man cleared his throat abruptly in an attempt to draw attention away from his face. "I _know _so. Because I'm an old man."

Frey's smile was genuine now, having cheered up exponentially thanks to their little chat. She yawned heavily and sprawled out, resting her head on his lap.

"Umm...Frey...?" He muttered awkwardly. He was starting to feel really warm. "You shouldn't do that...not with me...because I'm..."

"An old man...?" She teased, voice dreamy. It was obvious that she was much too tired to care. "I'm sorry, Bado. I just can't..."

The girl broke into light snoring. Like this, she almost seemed like Clorica. The dwarf smiled warmly, stroking her hair with his right hand.

"You know," he whispered, "If I was about ten years younger..."

He decided to let her rest like that for the next twenty minutes before carrying her back to her room and tucking her in.

_Man, I'm old._


	3. Unrequited

_I've been late, coming out with these. I'm so bad at this, haha. I do hope you're enjoying these, so far. Here is the next prompt for the Valentine's Week event:_

_Tuesday, February 10th: Confession OR __**Unrequited**__/Misunderstanding_

_Pairing: Maria/Leon_

_Heeeerewego!_

"Grandma, tell us another story!"

"I want to hear a love story!"

An elderly woman smiled over from her bed at her two young grandchildren, both with green hair, just like their mother, just like she used to have in her youth.

"A love story? Are you sure you want to hear that, Graham? There might be kissing involved!"

"I-I'm sure," her grandson squirmed, slightly embarrassed. His younger sister squealed with delight, tugging at the old woman's skirt.

"Grandma, tell us about your first love!"

The elder woman was taken aback, slightly. She hadn't thought about _him _in such a long time. She used to think about him all the time when she was younger. She had never met a man quite like him, even her late husband didn't hold her heart quite like he did.

And it was funny, how memory could be. She often forgot things from her childhood or even three days ago, but she remembered him perfectly. She remembered it all like it was just yesterday.

"Let's see..." she mustered up a great bit of strength in order to sit up. "I knew this boy once, back in my youth.

"He was beautiful... and of course, he knew it. He was very mischievous, really. Always pulling pranks, and messing with people. But he had a soft side, too.

I cried so much, back then. My mother had left that year, you see, and I was having a hard time coping without her. And this boy who often teased me had started being kind to me.

"The first time he saw me crying, He swore to me that he would find my mother and bring her back. Of course, a week later, his parents had dragged him back from the forest. He was punished severely, but he promised me he'd keep trying.

"The second time he saw me crying was a few years later. I had given up on my mother ever coming back, by then. It was my birthday, I think. And my father was so busy working that he completely forgot about it. Well, this time, he decided he was going to throw me a party to cheer me up. He convinced his mother to bake me a cake, and he had saved up and bought me a present. ...Unfortunately, the cake had coconut in it, and I was allergic to coconut. I had my birthday party in the clinic. It was probably the best birthday I had ever had.

"The third time he saw me cry, I had just gotten rejected. Believe it or not, it was your grandfather who rejected me! I cried, waiting for the boy to come to my rescue again. Sure enough, he did.

'You know, you cry a lot,' he had told me. 'I'll do anything you ask, as long as you stop crying.'

Of course, by then I was already quite smitten with that boy. So I asked him to marry me, and he said that he would.

From that day, we had grown even closer. And you know what happened? I stopped crying. Because he was always there to make me smile.

"There came a time, however, where it had to come to an end. This young man had grown noble, you see. Always the big hero, this one. He...

He left me. He left all of us. And I didn't see him after that."

The old woman looked over at her two charges. Sure enough, they were fast asleep and had probably been that way since the beginning of her story. She took this as her opportunity to escape for a few moments.

Standing up slowly, she made her way out of bed and past the kingdom's gates.

The walk wasn't too far, and her old bones were thankful for that. The kingdom's guard had kept the pathway lit and protected at all times of the night.

The old woman eventually made her way to the large stone tower, erected by the proud Dragon Priests before her time. This tower had long since been forgotten, the order of the Dragon Priests having disbanded so long ago, leaving not a soul at the tower save for the old woman and a young footsoldier.

"Ah...Lady Maria. I haven't seen you down here in a while...shouldn't you be in bed?"

Maria smiled at the young guard wearily. "I just needed a moment...do you think you could excuse me?"

"Of course." Turning hesitantly, the soldier left Maria alone with the ancient stones.

She let out a deep sigh, looking up at all of the text on the large wall. Most of it in the common tongue, except for the two names up top.

"I haven't visited in a long time, I've been angry," she laughed, finally at peace. "I kept my promise for as long as I could...I guess I should have expected you not to keep yours. You were such a trickster, Leon."

She stood there, looking up at their names they had carved into the wall. To her, that was all that was left of their time together. "I never stopped loving you, you know. Maybe I was a silly little girl, but you were the one that got away."

The wind made her shiver. It was so cold. "I'm not long for this world. I feel strangely at peace, knowing that. I wonder if that's how you felt before you left."

She turned to walk away, feeling tired after her excursion. After a few steps forward, she stopped. "I knew, you know. That you didn't love me that way... but it's alright. I married a wonderful man. So I want you to be happy, too, when you wake up.

I...wrote something for you. I figured I'd tell you in person, but I wrote it down for you, in case you weren't listening."

A tear rolled down her cheek, as she turned around one last time before heading back home. "Goodbye, Leon. I hope you find your happiness one day, too."

_I'M NOT TOO SURE HOW THIS ONE TURNED OUT BECAUSE IT WAS REALLYTRICKY TO WRITE ABOUT A CHARACTER WE ONLY HEARD A LITTLE BIT ABOUT. I hope I fleshed it out a bit, because I really loved their story. It was so bittersweet. And now Onwards to day 4!_


	4. Rarepair

_Wednesday, February 11th: __**Rarepair**__/Crackship OR Alternate Universe_

_Pair: Doug/Forte_

_The atmosphere is... hostile, somehow. _Doug suddenly felt trapped behind the store counter, weighted down by the hostility in the air. Across the room at a shelf, Selphia's flower salesman/ace detective slammed through product after product, taking a break to growl in frustration. If only Blossom were here, so he could make his escape.

"Umm...Illuminata...?" He interrupted her, deciding that he should probably put a stop to her behavior before she damaged any merchandise. "Is there something particular you're looking for?"

The fiery elf spun around suddenly, pointing an accusing finger directly at him. "Hush, you! I'm looking for evidence!"

"...Evidence? What kind of evidence?"

Illuminata silenced him with another jab of her index finger, turning her attention back to the shelf. "I'm looking for evidence to further connect you to the crime!"

The dwarf blinked in confusion. But instead of answering him, the elf simply muttered an affirmative to herself and ran out the door.

"Really...what's gotten into everyone today?" The redhead sighed wistfully. Ever since yesterday, the women of the village had been acting very strangely towards Doug. Margaret would stop playing the piano and storm upstairs in a huff whenever he entered Porcoline's Kitchen, Dolce would mutter an angry insult to herself whenever she walked past him on the streets causing Pico to shout out the insult for her mistress, and Xiao Pai would "forget" to warn him that she heated the bath way too much when he came to unwind, causing him to burn himself in very delicate areas. Even sweet, innocent Amber stopped smiling when he came into Carnations, instead deciding to point towards the bin by there door and say that the "trash belongs over there". He really didn't know what was going on, but as of late it seemed that Doug was public enemy #1 to all women.

All women except one, that is.

The dwarf jumped in surprise as the bell above the general store door chimed, signalling a new customer. In walked the twintailed fake princess of Selphia, smiling politely.

"Good morning, Frey," Doug welcomed her weakly, exhausted from all of the recent negativity.

Frey scanned the room for a moment before responding. _Was she...checking to make sure we were alone? _"Good morning, Doug."

"Why did you do that?"

"Do what?"

The redhead scowled at her. "Don't play dumb, why did you look around before answering me?"

Frey gave an apologetic smile, embarrassed that he had caught on. "I'm sorry, Doug. I just..."

"Didn't want to be seen being nice to me?"

"...Well, I am a girl too, after all.." The princess fidgeted guiltily, unable to meet his gaze. "It's nothing personal.."

"Yeesh, that's cold... What did I even do?"

Frey looked at him with wide eyes. Was it that shocking that he didn't know? "You mean you don't remember?"

"Umm. No, obviously I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh, Doug..." She shook her head, walking over beside him.

"What?"

"You really don't remember what you said? About Forte?"

Doug strained to remember the event from a couple of days ago. Porcoline's kitchen was crowded with people that day. It _was_ lunch hour, after all. He had been sitting at a table with the other guys from the village, save for Dylas who was waiting tables and Arthur who was in his study, working diligently. At the table across from them, sat the girls. Everybody was having a wonderful time, laughing and telling stories about their day.

He remembered Forte was telling the girls about how she was training some new recruits. One of them had been fooling around so she punished them harshly, commanding them to run laps throughout town until she was satisfied. "I wonder why the new recruits can be so disrespectful," she sighed.

"It's because they're not used to seeing a girl as a knight," Doug interjected, putting his conversation with Vishnal on hold.

"I beg your pardon?"

The dwarf took a swig of his drink before standing. "Well, knights are men, you know? They just haven't seen a female knight before. It's different."

"What about it is so different?" The blonde huffed, her gaze piercing through him. "Despite my gender, I am still a knight, and I am their superior. Do I not deserve their respect?"

Doug shrugged. "Maybe they thought you were too stuffy. You are really strict, y'know."

"Sit down, _shorty_." The waiter hissed, shoving down the dwarf back into his seat. This of course caused them to argue briefly.

"What's the matter with you, _horse-face_?"

"You're disturbing the other guests!"

"I'm being honest!"

The dwarf began to grumble a few expletives, not knowing how to retaliate. "It's not like she's a _real _girl anyway. She's not feminine at all! She just marches around barking orders all the time!"

The guests were already chatting loudly amongst themselves. There's no way anyone had heard that.

Right?

"Kiel says she hasn't left her bed, you know. He's really worried about her." Despite how polite Frey was on average, even she looked at him with disdain right now.

_Oh crap. _Doug felt his chest tighten. He was just venting his frustration, he didn't actually _mean _it. It was all Dylas's fault!

But everyone wasn't angry at Dylas. Everyone was angry at Doug. And Forte was sad. Man, this sucked. Suddenly, Doug stood and ushered Frey out the door, locking it behind him.

"D-Doug? What're you-"

"Sorry Frey. Gotta kick you out early. I totally forgot I was supposed to go do something!"

It was around lunchtime when he arrived. He would have arrived sooner, but he had to make sure That idiot Dylas wasn't in the restaurant before he placed his order.

Steeling himself, he knocked on their door. It opened slightly and a little blonde head peeked out.

"... Doug," Kiel greeted him somewhat coldly, a mixture of anger and disappointment on his face. A look that caused Doug's cheeks to flush in shame.

"H-Hi Kiel... is your sister here?"

Forte's younger brother looked him up and down. Spotting the dish in his hand, his expression softened somewhat. "Yeah, she's in her room. ...Listen, I have some errands to run. Do you think you could watch after her while I'm gone? She had a slight temperature this morning."

"S-Sure..."

"Great!" The boy gave a knowing smile to the slightly taller male and opened the door for him to come in and wished him a sincere good-luck as he left.

"Kiel...?" a shakey voice called out from Forte's room. "Who was that at the door?"

Forte's bedroom seemed a mile away at that point. Remorse coursed through his veins as he kept trying to think of what to say. When he got there, however, all he could muster up was a halfhearted "Hey."

A pair of angry blue eyes peered dangerously at him through her covers. "W-What are you doing here?"

_Remember, Doug. Be nice. _"You know, you have your army of girls attacking me everywhere I go." _Oh yeah. That was __**real **__nice._

"I did not put them up to it," she muttered, halfway apologetic.

"You didn't have to. It's 'Girl code' or something. Even Amber's pissed at me. _Amber_!"

"It serves you right for being so callous," Forte retorted angrily. Anger was good. "I have no idea why they might defend me, though. Seeing as I'm not a _real _girl."

Doug winced. "So you heard that bit, didn't you?"

"I am not hearing an apology," she said flatly. "You came here to apologize, yes?"

"S-sorry." The dwarf rubbed the back of his head, keeping his eyes to the floor. The guilt on his face was almost as obvious as it was in his tone of voice. "I was just angry at Dylas... I shouldn't have said..."

"Then why did you?" Her voice was soft and shakey, like she was about to cry. _Forte never cries..._

"Argh... I don't know! I was just angry, and I just said it...! I'm very stupid when I'm angry. It wasn't even true."

The covers were thrown back as the Forte sat up suddenly, catching Doug off guard. She sat, still dressed in her nightgown, her long blonde hair let loose to hang over one shoulder. Doug could feel his cheeks heat up.

When she was like this, she was very pretty.

"It is... a little true," she admitted, looking at his chest rather than his face. "I'm very strict, and I always dive headfirst at the first sign of trouble... Everyone has either said so or thought the same as you. I am more like a man than a woman."

"Yeah, you are pretty manly at times." Forte looked at him incredulously. Why was he laughing at her?

"Do you think something is funny? I thought you were apologizing!"

"I am, I am! It's just..." he gave her a warm smile. "We love that about you. You keep us on our toes, and you're always defying the expectations we all throw at you because you're a girl. Even your recruits: they disrespect you because they think you will be soft and gentle, but you always turn around and surprise them."

A blush crept onto the blonde's face. "So you are saying... it's not a bad thing?"

"It's a great thing! I'm not that good with a weapon. My dad was going to teach me, but... Anyway, knowing that we have someone strong and dependable like you protecting us, I feel safe. If you were any different, you just wouldn't be Forte."

The girl stood up out of her bed, smiling gracefully. "Y-you know," Doug coughed awkwardly, "with your hair down, you look more feminine. P-pretty, even...!"

"I'm... so tall. That's not very feminine."

She chuckled slightly, attempting to cover her embarrassment. It was true that Forte was tall, but given that Doug was a dwarf, she completely towered over him.

"Yeah, well I'm short. That's not very masculine."

Forte shrugged shyly. "I-I like your height."

The pair stood there in silence for a few moments, both of them quite red in the face. Finally, Forte spoke. ""...Thank you, Doug. For all of this" She began running her hands nervously through her long hair. "I-if you want... maybe I could start teaching you how to fight, with a sword."

"Geez," the dwarf uttered, averting her gaze in an attempt to keep his composure. This side of Forte was undeniably cute. "Y-Yeah... I'd like that. We could start tomorrow morning at 10...? I could meet you in the square... if you want, that is."

The knight smiled, seemingly oblivious to the redhead's change of attitude. "Of course! Be prepared to work hard. I won't go easy on even you!"

***The pair began sparring every morning from then on. Kiel reports that occasionally, they've been known to have meals together. He feels bad for poor Doug, as his sister is extremely clueless towards most things romantic, however that didn't stop the other villagers from teasing them mercilessly.


	5. Married Life

_Man, I'm going to come out with the rest of this mega late, I just know it. I'm so bad at this schedule thing haha. ANYWAY, Moving onto the next one._

_Thursday, February 12th: __**Married/Domestic Life **__or Proposal_

_Pairing: Arthur/Frey_

_This prompt has some suggestive themes, mainly hinting at it. It's pretty safe to read, but I feel like it's best if I warned you anyway :_

The bespectacled prince hummed cheerily while washing the evening's dishes, seemingly unaware of his partner's heated gaze.

The young couple had just finished their dinner and it was Arthur's turn to clean up. The pair had been married for over a week now and had already fallen into a pattern. When Frey cooks, Arthur cleans, and vice versa. Of course on most nights, Frey was the one cooking, and Arthur was always cleaning.

Though eventually, even the most established patterns fail to remain 100% constant.

_Look at him, all smug and cheerful. Like he's in total control. _Frey's eyes were glued to her husband's frame, the gears in her head turning. Since their wedding, the pair had carried on rather peacefully-Sharing meals, holding hands through town, cuddling at home-but there was something drastically missing. To her utter embarrassment, even _Porcoline _had picked up on it earlier that day, when she had come to bring Arthur his lunch.

"My, _my_! Do not tell me, my darling Frey, that Arthur hasn't...**done ****_that _**with you yet!"

He was so loud that Frey was certain that her husband had overheard him, but judging by his nonchalance, he hadn't.

Which means he also probably wouldn't expect a sneak attack.

"Are you almost finished?" She asked her husband sweetly.

"I'm done washing the cookware, I should be done in a few minutes."

"Good!"

Frey took the opportunity while his back was turned to slip into the bathroom. She decided to undo a few buttons of her nightgown and to let her long hair down. Arthur had never really seen her with her hair down yet, her usual styles limited to updos because they were more practical for fighting and farming.

She took a look in her mirror before heading back out. She looked more mature now. With her mint green locks flying free, she felt like she looked more like a _woman_. Arthur might like cute things, but tonight that was the last thing she wanted to appear.

When she walked out of the bathroom, Arthur was laying on their bed reading his book, not even bothering to turn around and look at her. Frey tried to maintain her courage as she headed towards the bed, thinking of ways to proceed. She decided to _attempt _a subtle approach as she crawled in next to him.

"You were in there a while," the blonde man observed, his eyes not leaving the page. "Is everything alright?"

"Y...yeah," his wife squeaked, "Everything is fine. I was just brushing my hair is all." _He probably thinks I had to __**go.**_

Silence. Then the sound of a page turning. Minutes passed and the silence was eating Frey alive. She had to act.

_Alright... sloooooowwwllyyyy... _

She lifted herself upright, facing him. She hesitated for a few moments before suddenly placing both hands on his back.

"Honey?" he called, still not bothering to turn and face her.

"Y-you must be so tired from work." A transparent excuse if she were perfectly honest with herself. She began awkwardly kneading his back, staring down at her hands. "I thought a good massage would help you relax."

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired," a smile carried in his voice "I shall gladly accept your offer."

Frey grinned triumphantly to herself. She didn't think she'd manage to get this far. Unfortunately, she'd never given anybody a massage in her life which led her to focus on only one spot, causing Arthur to shift away from her slightly, too polite to say anything.

Thinking fast, she tried her plan B. She laid back down and scooted next to him until their faces were nearly touching as she looked at the book he was reading. Of course it was his ledger which he carried with him everywhere.

"What're you doing?" Frey inquired, attempting to sound playful.

The man let out a small chuckle. "Just going over the reports for tomorrow. Nothing too interesting."

"That sounds boring. You know what we should do?"

For the first time since she had returned from the restroom, he faced her expectantly, lips curled into a warm smile. "Do tell me, Love."

Feeling extreme heat under his gaze, Frey turned her attention to his lips as she attempted to stutter out a reply. "U-Umm... I think we should...!"

Snapping his book closed and setting it aside, he abruptly turned his body towards hers and pulled her in close.

"You are so very _cute _tonight! I just want to hold you until morning."

And that's all she wrote.

_Arthur-1 Frey-0._

Amber jumped up in surprise as her green-haired friend had smacked her goblet back down on the table, her eyes boring dangerously into the door leading to Arthur's workshop.

The young ladies of Selphia often would sit at Porcoline's kitchen together and have their lunch. Today though, Frey seemed to have other things on her mind than eating. In fact, she was so distracted that she didn't even notice her dining partners were all staring at her in confusion.

Finally, Margaret decided to speak up for the group. "Frey...?" she addressed the princess timidly. "Is something the matter...?"

"Of course!" the ponytailed girl replied sharply. "Everything is just _fiiiiine._"

"It most certainly isn't!" Pico objected. Dolce didn't even bother to stop her this time. "You're obviously mad about _something! _What is it?"

Frey sighed, turning her attention away from Arthur's door and giving her friends an apologetic smile. "You're right. Things aren't exactly fine... I'm a little worried, actually."

"Worried?" Forte asked. "What is it that worries you?"

Frey stared down at her uneaten lunch, cheeks growing slightly warm. "W-well, it's Arthur..."

The girls leaned towards their friend sympathetically. From outside of the group, a few curious outsiders including Porcoline listened in on their princess.

"We've been married for over a week now, and it's been really nice but...I'm worried he doesn't see me as a _woman..._"

"That's silly!" Xiao Pai interjected. "I mean, he married you for a reason, yes?"

"But he's always...brushing off my advances. Last night he just called me 'cute' and we went straight to sleep!"

"That doesn't sound so bad," Clorica said dreamily. "He thinks you're cute, and you got to sleep! That sounds wonderful..."

"Yeah!" Amber cheered. "Of course he loves you. You're really cute, Frey!"

Frey smiled sheepishly. "I-I'm not _that _cute! But...I don't want to just be 'cute'. I want him to see me as an adult and do **_that _**sort of stuff."

The group went dead silent as they all looked down at their own plates, embarrassed. A few of them were in relationships, but none married. Neither of them had any experience in anything so intimate.

From their spot near the piano, Nancy sauntered over towards Frey's table (much to Jones' disapproval). "There, there," she soothed the younger woman, before finding a seat next to her. "Crossing that threshold can be quite difficult in the beginning. Why, I remembered all of my failed attempts to seduce Jones!"

"N-Nancy!" Her husband protested from across the room, red as a tomato. The blonde giggled as she chose to ignore his outburst. "I'll tell you, I tried everything. Massages, lap-siting, letting my hair down... I even tried slipping a few natural aphrodisiacs in his food once or twice! But each time, he'd brush me off and continue studying..." The blonde pouted at the thought, reliving her embarrassing first attempts.

"So how did you guys finally...?"

All of the girls at the table stared expectantly at Nancy, who just laughed cheerfully. "I just flat-out told him, silly!"

Every set of eyes widened in shock.

"Y-you just said..." Frey choked out in disbelief.

"Mmhm! I just told Jones that... I wanted to take the **next step** in our relationship!"

_The next step, huh..._

That advice rang in Frey's head all day long. Unable to focus on her farming chores any longer, Frey decided to wait around for her husband, same outfit as last night.

This time, Arthur got home later, at 11. Of course, he had let Frey know ahead of time, so she expected it. He gave her a small smile as he got ready for bed and joined her.

There he was, again. Reading that damn ledger.

_Just say it, Frey._

"Arthur...?"

"Yes, my love?"

Frey blushed. This was a lot harder than she thought. She decided to start off slow. "How was your day?" she asked.

"It was pretty busy, actually. A lot of paperwork for the new shipments."

"Ooh.."

_Come on, keep it going! _"So, Arthur?"

"Yes, dear?"

"Do you think my hair looks better up? Or down?"

Arthur smiled patiently, eyes still glued to his ledger. "I think you look cute no matter how you wear your hair."

_Again with 'cute'. Can't he think of other ways to describe me?!_

There was an awkward pause as Frey squirmed. She was running out of ideas pretty quickly.

_Come on, spit it out! _"S-so... Arhur..?"

"...Yes, darling?"

_Is it just my imagination or is he starting to sound annoyed? _Frey panicked now, afraid to ruin the mood completely. her palms began to sweat as she fumbled nervously with the ends of her nightgown.

"I think we should.."

"Mmhmm?"

"... possibly..."

"... Yes?"

"... next l...evel.."

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Arthur!"

The prince's attention snapped to his wife, surprised at her sudden outburst. Her face was bright red and she kept her eyes on her trembling hands. "Do you... find me attractive?" she asked meekly.

Arthur looked confused, not entirely sure where she was going with this. "...? Of course, I find you very cute." He replied with a soft smile.

To further surprise, his bride looked dissatisfied with his answer. "Is that... all I am...?"

"What do you mean?"

She quickly looked up at him, tears threatening to spill from their ducts at any second. "I don't want to be just _cute_. I'm a woman, you know! I have appeal...!" She took a deep breath, looking back up at him with newfound determination. "A-Arthur... I want to take our relationship to the next ste-"

Without Warning, Arthur grabbed hold of his wife and pulled her into a close embrace. "I'm sorry," he muttered sincerely. "I am very sorry...I've been so caught up with my work lately... in truth, I've been doing a lot of catching up."

"What do you mean?" came her muffled reply.

"The truth is... I've been spending my time at my study researching...certain things, so I've been doing my work later, mostly after you've fallen asleep."

"Certain things...?" _Oh no... don't tell me he actually __**did **__hear me talking to Porcoline!_

Arthur adjusted his glasses, looking a bit uncomfortable with his own admission. "I also want to take it to the **next step**."

"Oh!" Frey exclaimed. "S-so you heard all of that..."

Her husband simply smiled. Instead of answering her, he pulled her in for a kiss. "You've been torturing me quite a bit lately," he sighed, breaking apart. His tone was playful with a hint of desire. "with your hair down, you're really quite irresistible. ...And don't think I haven't noticed what you've been doing with your nightgown... you just _love _to tease me, don't you?"

Frey was speechless, face growing hotter by the second under his dangerous gaze. She felt every bit like a cornered rabbit, pinned from fleeing by a very hungry wolf. When did Arthur suddenly seem so intimidating?

"I am a man, you know..." he muttered, before pulling her in again.

After that night, Frey appeared 60% more cheerful than she had been since her wedding, leaving her friends baffled as to what had changed. Few have called her sudden change "unnerving" and Nancy and Frey often shared knowing glances, adding to the confusion.


End file.
